Monday, May 26, 2008

Dumpster Diving, with The Dean

Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati

I’ve been thinking about the concept of ”Freeganism” so much recently, that I just had to find out what one could find with no experience, and no preparation, peeking into some area dumpsters for the thrill.  So I called my cousin Nick, and we spent Monday evening dumpster diving, expecting to find nothing and pleased with the treasure from our first hunt.

The Dean (right) with his cousin Nick.
Photo courtesy of here.

We spent a total of two hours, and probably about a gallon of gas, driving to area dumpsters.  We found a working 19 inch TV with a built in DVD player, an original Nintendo, a Playstation with an added hard-drive, some gaming system dance mats, Christmas ornaments, a piece of pottery (slightly broken), those things you use to put baseball caps in the washer, a Gameboy game, a Will Ferrell Saturday Night Live DVD, tennis balls, a hat, and a large speaker in a box.

One dumpster had literally hundreds of t-shirts.  They needed to be washed—and we didn’t really feel like contending with them—but I’m wondering why the store didn’t at least donate them.  It just seems like such a waste!

We didn’t really study the labels on the over-the-counter medication—but perhaps we could have scored some pain relief pills, too.  We also found a few dozen loaves of perfectly usable bread, but we weren’t hungry.

I kept the TV/DVD, put the pot in my yard as a landscaping accent, and Nick’s going to try his luck with the rest on eBay.

Socializer!

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shirts says:
27 May 2008  at  08:58 am | #

One dumpster had literally hundreds of t-shirts.  They needed to be washed—and we didn’t really feel like contending with them—but I’m wondering why the store didn’t at least donate them.  It just seems like such a waste!

I had a friend who used to work in retail who told me some stores have a policy where unsold merchandise has to be destroyed or thrown out or both because the write off for the lost revenue is higher than whatever they’d get for donating the clothes.  My friend said they used to have to take a knife and slice shirts down the middle before tossing them in the dumpster.  My friend could easily be full of it, or my memory could easily be clouded from the fact that this conversation took place about five or six years ago.

anon says:
27 May 2008  at  05:22 pm | #

a Will Ferrell Saturday Night Live DVD

Put that back where it belongs.

funnelcake says:
27 May 2008  at  10:33 pm | #

shirts - The story is probably true.  If you doubt it just read about the complete annihilation of 4,700 new cars:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120942873506551291.html?mod=hpp_us_inside_today#

For run of the mill consumers, the two locations to consider are:
http://www.freecycle.org/
or
http://www.thesalvationarmycincinnati.org/

cincysuz says:
28 May 2008  at  05:40 am | #

So those, that by necessity and for survival, must live on the discards of others aren’t poor or homeless or poverty stricken, they’re FREEGANS. And the children living in that cycle of poverty shouldn’t pine for a WII or other electronic game, but feel lucky that they’re already living a game, 24/7. The game pieces, Freegan t-shirts, jerseys and other attire (even coffee shop items) that distinguish the game players from the authentic poor are really clever.  Very pricey, --in the spirit of the game--way out of reach of the authentic poor so the cops won’t inadvertently inconvenience those playing the game by confusing them with those trying to stay alive. Good fun!

says:
28 May 2008  at  06:28 am | #

What are you talking about?

cincysuz says:
28 May 2008  at  09:04 am | #

Privileged people “playing” poor. Isn’t it clear?

says:
28 May 2008  at  10:56 am | #

You prefer sending it to a landfill?  Why do you hate recycling?

cincysuz says:
28 May 2008  at  12:01 pm | #

I was recycling when you were still in pre-school. I also re-purpose, buy used, avoid chains and buy local. You understand the argument.  Dumpster diving for fun. It’s the insensitivity. The presentation. The trivialization of something that others have to do for survival, not as a Sunday afternoon outing. Sort of like going “slumming.” You wouldn’t get it. You never do.

says:
28 May 2008  at  12:59 pm | #

You are still not making sense.

First, much writing online—and even televised news reports—about “Freegans” are not the impoverished, but middle class people who live off of and use trash as a way to protest the waste of our capitalist culture.

So you have a problem with that? 

Are you suggesting that the strip mall from which I got some dance mats near I-275 was really a great resource for poor people, and that I am taking from them by doing this?

That, too, is absurd.

Is it a problem to raise awareness, through this blog post, of how wasteful our culture is?  Does it hurt the poor when, for example, I start talking about all the good stuff that gets tossed in the trash?

Sure, I enjoyed spending an evening with my cousin.  Why shouldn’t I?

I did not, for a moment, think I was “playing” poor—nor did I present the issue that way in this article.  You fabricated that angle, and then starting shooting from the hip.

Somehow, in your world, I’m sure my dumpster diving helps the Republican Party.

Just for Fun says:
28 May 2008  at  04:56 pm | #

Wait until a community has a major clean up-pick up weekend.

When NCH had one of these---my haul included a porcelein oven which I re-sold in an antique mall for $250, an antique firetruck also sold for $150, tools of all sorts, a Rookwood vase in perfect condition, a very very old bentwood child rocker which was also sold for $75, and an old Victrola which I still have. I also managed to find Coffee grinders, and for the newer things- a working jig saw, great collection of LP’s, and also a working motor for a boat that I sold to a neighbor.

I love to garbage pick- ask my son- who has a brand new Yamaha guitar complete with tags, a set of golf clubs and a Trek bike- that I went to the door and asked if they wanted money for it before I put it in my car. They said no.

So-you can have a ton of fun esp. when there is a community pick up!

Recycler says:
29 May 2008  at  08:55 am | #

I really have to go with Jason on this Suz.  None of the stuff Jason took out of that dumpster could benefit the poor--with the arguable exception of the t-shirts, but is it really Jason’s responsibility to garbage pick a ton of t-shirts and give them to the Goodwill?

I don’t live in Cincinnati, anymore.  But in my neighborhood everyone has those little pushcarts to walk to the grocery store.  A neighbor in my building was moving to the burbs and threw his away.  It was either brand new, barely used, or the guy took exceptionally good care of it.  He left it leaning against the garbage can, so I knew it was trash, but I took it.

Now, in my particular situation, this grocery store happens to be five blocks up hill.  If I’m buying beer or a twelve pack of pop along with my groceries, trying to carry that along with my groceries can get pretty harry.  Is it really better, in your opinion, for me to drive five blocks to the grocery store?  Now yes, a poor person could have actually used that cart.  But I had a use for it, too.  It kept me from having to buy a new one, and I’m keeping my car off the road (I ride a bike to work and really only use my car on the weekends, and rarely then, even).  Yeah, Suz, I may not have been the neediest person, but I found my shopping cart fair and square, and I’ll sleep fine at night.

cincysuz says:
29 May 2008  at  06:55 pm | #

Ok. My bad.